That’s a worry I share as well.

I hint at it in my last sentence of the article, but more effort could have been into touching that.

Medvedev has really gone off the rails in recent months, it seems. And that was the “liberal” president, as they said in 2008.

I don’t know if there would be a democratic replacement for Putin. Maybe Navalny? But political dissent has been trumped so voraciously in Russia that few political figures stand out. Most have gone into exile.

Thank you for reading and for the thoughtful comment!